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Sunday, 15 June 2008

Mr. Sharif is not as innocent as he portrayed himself to be. If Mr. Sharif wants accountability, let’s open all the books.

By MIRZA ROHAIL BAIG

Saturday, 14 June 2008.

WWW.AHMEDQURAISHI.COM

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan—If you are one of the Pakistanis who applauded former prime Nawaz Sharif when he addressed a crowd of deranged lawyers and paid hungry supporters – who turned the most expensive piece of property in the heart of Pakistan’s federal capital into an open air toilet last night, then you should know that Mr. Sharif is not as innocent as he portrayed himself to be.

This is a guy who went shopping in Washington DC for a U.S. $ 25,000 watch as brave Pakistanis died fighting for their honor in Kargil, a battle that Mr. Sharif ensured we lost because he was busy in a personal fight with the nation’s military leaders.

Mr. Nawaz Sharif’s record is so embarrassing that, in another country with educated voters, he would never be reelected by the people.

His record includes unforgettable lapses and mistakes, each of them worthy of an inquiry commission that could disqualify him for life:

1. This man declared emergency after the May 1998 Nuclear detonations. Under the pretext of sanctions, he swallowed up the nation’s $10 billion foreign reserves. No questions asked and no accountability since!

2. This man, Nawaz, siphoned off millions of dollars of the money collected under the ‘Qarz utaro mulk sanwaro’ scheme where he appealed to the Pakistani nation’s patriotism and asked everyone to donate money to pay off the national debt. No accountability so far!

3. This man was shopping for $25,000 Philip Patek watches in the United States when our brave soldiers were dying in Kargil. No shame!

4. This man built a 2000-acre Raiwind palatial complex for himself and his family when our nation was contributing to the "Qarz utaro mulk sanwaro" scheme to pay off the national debt.

5. This man Nawaz is a PROTEGE of past military rulers who turned him from a dumb, Nehari-loving imbecile into a leader. General Imtiaz brought him from Dubai. General Jillani and General Zia-ul-Haq groomed him. Lt. Gen. Hameed Gul created for his an entire new political party, the IJI. Today he makes fun of the military. It says something about his character. He is an ungrateful person, someone we call EHSAAN FARAMOOSH in our language!

6. He is the first ruler in the history of Pakistan and maybe the world who ransacked the Supreme Court building and unleashed the private armed thugs on Shahbaz Sharif’s payroll as a private Sharif Militia and used them to stone the building of the Supreme Court and chase out its judges who dared to challenge his actions in 1997.

7. More than 80 complaints of corruption and misuse of authority were pending at different stages of inquiry, investigation and trial against former PM Nawaz Sharif when he was granted pardon by the president and went into a self-chosen exile. The complaint said Nawaz Sharif did not mention in his declaration of assets in the nomination form for NA-12 in 1997 that he owned a helicopter. It was alleged that he did not pay duties of Rs. 30 million on this machine. Don’t take my word for it, check this news story: http://www.millat.com/ghalibcom/events/nawaz%20exile/80_cases_pending_against_nawaz_b.htm

8. According to a report:

8.1 Rs. 1.5 billion loan was taken out by the Sharif brothers against the security of their company, Ittefaq Foundries

8.2 Rs. 302 million were obtained for Brothers Sugar Mills

8.3 Rs. 92 million for Brothers Textile

8.4 Rs. 392 million for Brothers Steel Mills

8.5 Rs. 102 million for Ramzan Sugar Mills and Khalid Siraj Textiles each

8.6 Rs. 385 million for Ittefaq Sugar Mills

8.7 Rs. 368 million for Ittefaq Textiles and

8.8 Rs. 239 million were loaned to Ittefaq Brother.

9. The Nawaz family which is now one of the richest in the country largely due to the largesse of Pakistani banks has unveiled its one billion rupee Raiwind Complex. Spread over an area of around a thousand acres it houses palatial residences, a 300 acre farm, a 500 bed hospital, a school, a medical teaching facility, 200 acre dairy farm, a 350 line telephone exchange, Polytechnic institute, Nursing and Midwifery school etc. The Sharifs who must really be minting money have built it all in 17 months at a cost of Rs 740 million. The Punjab government headed by a Sharif has chipped in by providing government-funded roads and forcibly purchasing land for papa Sharif. http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/Lobby/2423/20.html

11. Nawaz has asked for Pakistan to open permanent border with India, VISA-FREE! Why doesn't he simply call for making both one & same country? This way he’ll get an endless supply of Indian music DVDs that he so loves!

Finally, when Nawaz’s son was suspected of having blood cancer and needed treatment in London, Pervez Musharraf violated his own 10-year agreement with the Saudis and ordered the Pakistani Embassy in Riyadh to provide the Sharifs with passports on humanitarian grounds.

Musharraf again put the exile agreement aside and helped Shahbaz Sharif get treatment in New York.

In comparison, Mr. Nawaz Sharif could have shown magnanimity and rise above petty revenge and address the real issues facing Pakistan, internally and in the region.

Mr. Baig is a Pakistani commentator. He can be reached at opinion786@yahoo.com

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